3 Contributions of Ancient Greece to Modern Society

1032 Words5 Pages
We couldn’t have gotten this far without some help. Civilization, culture, and knowledge stack up like building blocks, everything coming from something before. Many modern-day elements, common objects, and rituals are derived from the concepts of ancient civilizations. The cultured pasts of Egypt, Italy, India, China, Japan, and many other countries all shape our future. One especially influential empire was that of Greece. Ancient Greece contributed many ideas and inventions that have truly survived the test of time, their concepts lasting millennia and more. Even the Olympics, an athletic event last watched in 2014 by hundreds of countries around the world, was actually founded 3000 years ago in Ancient Greece, as a competition to honor their gods! (Document B). The Ancient Greeks continue to influence our lives today in three prominent ways: architecture, politics, and medicine. In present day, Western architecture owes a heavy debt to the classical styles of Ancient Greece. Ancient Greeks started building temples of worship to their gods at about 600 B.C. One defining feature in these temples was the distinctive column styles known as Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. These can be most easily defined and identified by each column’s capital. We continue to use these same designs today in our modern architecture. For example, the White House features Ionic columns. (Document C) Besides column styles, Greek architecture also influenced theater design. Ancient Greek theaters often could hold more than eighteen-thousand people, designed as a kind of semi-circle, with a circular dancing floor in the center dedicated to the chorus. Within the circle was the stage. (Document D.) These Greek amphitheaters were often built on hillsides in the open air, designed to carry sound in the most effective way possible. Current theaters use the Greeks’ same tactics during their

More about 3 Contributions of Ancient Greece to Modern Society

Open Document